Latest

Hitting 2019 Out of the Park: MLB and MLBPA Pledge Support

A message from our Founders, Albert and Deidre Pujols:

2019 is off to an incredible start! We have big plans for this year with even more stadiums and teams on board, rallying even more people behind the fight against modern-day slavery. When our eyes were first opened to the issue of human trafficking in 2016, we knew we had to take action. We thought about how we could engage on the issue to make a difference. Baseball is obviously a huge part of our lives, and we wanted to see if we could use our love of baseball to spread awareness and support nonprofit organizations fighting against human trafficking globally.

We began to form partnerships with nonprofits on the front lines, met with and listened to survivors, and learned the staggering statistics on human trafficking. We learned that modern-day slavery is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, and more people are in slavery now than ever before. People of all ages and genders can be affected – including young children. It’s shocking when you are faced with the magnitude of the crisis.

We first met with Major League Baseball back in 2016 to share our desire to use baseball to make a difference, and they walked alongside us on our journey of learning more. We created Strike Out Slavery in 2017 and MLB has been supportive of our efforts from day one. We’re so happy to announce that the MLB and Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) have taken their commitment to the cause one step further as they demonstrate their leadership on the issue.

MLB and MLPBA announced that they are contributing $500,000, through 2021, to nonprofits focused on efforts to stop human trafficking. Strike Out Slavery is among the grantees, and we will be part of a special council deciding how to distribute the funds to various organizations. We are so grateful for this financial contribution to Strike Out Slavery as well as other leading nonprofits who are fighting this issue. Thank you to MLB and MLBPA for their leadership and firm commitment to this issue. We couldn’t be more proud to have you as a partner.

We have even more exciting news! In addition to this generous gift, we will also be expanding our SOS Pre-Game Awareness Festival to additional MLB parks this year. This means more baseball fans will learn about modern-day slavery, connect with leading nonprofits, and enjoy a family friendly festival and postgame concert. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the full lineup of events.

As you can see, 2019 is already off to an exciting start! We look forward to continuing to spread awareness through our passion of baseball. We sincerely thank MLB, MLBPA and baseball fans everywhere for embracing this cause and standing with us to say ‘enough is enough.’

In gratitude,

Albert and Deidre Pujols

Read the official News Release here